Woods’ private life to remain private

Posted Nov 30, 2009 by Ryan Lavner

Updated Nov 30, 2009 at 07:06 PM

For those sports fans awaiting a definitive conclusion to the ongoing Tiger Woods Saga, the world’s top golfer delivered a message Monday, and it again appeared on his Web site, not in a police statement.

Keep waiting.

Woods pulled out of his own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Monday, citing injuries sustained in the one-car crash that has captivated the nation. That Woods withdrew wasn’t a surprise—despite all of the fuzzy details surrounding his accident, he did suffer a headache and multiple lacerations—and now the rumor mill, already spinning at a dizzying rate, will continue to manufacture the most sensational stories.

And that’s fine with Woods. He likely won’t address the situation publicly, and he won’t have to: He won’t tee it up again in 2009, and won’t make his season debut until February, at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Oaks.

Woods’ hope, we can assume, is that the situation will defuse in due time. And it might. He refused to speak with police—which is his right—and he released a statement on his Web site, tigerwoods.com. He wants to keep the incident private, and he will.

Yes, when Woods returns to professional golf next year, he’ll eventually have to face the media.

Why were you leaving at 2:25 a.m.?

Why not come out and quash all the conspiracy theories if the incident is as innocuous as you let on?

Woods will sidestep those questions, as he always does, while remaining the most guarded athlete in sports.

Yes, Woods is a public figure. But he also has a private life.

And for three months, he intends to keep it that way.